The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2011 to 2025 Europe
Trafficking in persons Belarus, in 14 editions.
The entry for Belarus published Trafficking in persons in 14 editions of 34, from 2011 to 2025. The text changed in 9 editions. Each is shown as published. Trafficking in persons in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 9
- the first edition with it
- 2011
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Trafficking in persons” (2011 to 2025).
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.
2025 edition
Changed since 2024- current situation:
- Belarus is a source, destination, and transit country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
- women and children are subjected to sex trafficking in Russia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and within Belarus;
- Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced begging, as well as in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus
- tier rating:
- Tier 2 Watch List - the government did not demonstrate evidence of increasing anti-trafficking efforts;
- instead, it weakened victim protection efforts and prosecuted and convicted fewer trafficking offenders than in previous years;
- however, the government did conduct anti-trafficking prevention campaigns jointly with NGOs, identifying a number of victims of trafficking, and providing limited in-kind assistance to anti-trafficking NGOs (2011)
current situation:
Belarus is a source, destination, and transit country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are subjected to sex trafficking in Russia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and within Belarus; Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced begging, as well as in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - the government did not demonstrate evidence of increasing anti-trafficking efforts; instead, it weakened victim protection efforts and prosecuted and convicted fewer trafficking offenders than in previous years; however, the government did conduct anti-trafficking prevention campaigns jointly with NGOs, identifying a number of victims of trafficking, and providing limited in-kind assistance to anti-trafficking NGOs (2011)
The entry for Belarus did not include Trafficking in persons.
The same text in 2013 and 2014.
- current situation:
- Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
- women and children are trafficked to European and Middle Eastern countries and within Belarus for sexual exploitation;
- Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus;
- Belarusian men seeking work abroad are increasingly subjected to forced labor
- tier rating:
- Tier 2 Watch List - Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
- however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
- the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender;
- while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have not been fully implemented and government services to victims remain very limited;
- the government continues its efforts to prevent trafficking through public awareness campaigns and NGO-operated anti-trafficking hotlines (2013)
current situation:
Belarus is a source, destination, transit, and transit destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are subjected trafficked to sex trafficking in Russia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, European and Middle Eastern countries and within Belarus; Belarus for sexual exploitation; Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced begging, as well as in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus Belarus; Belarusian men seeking work abroad are increasingly subjected to forced labor
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - the government did Belarus does not demonstrate evidence fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of increasing anti-trafficking efforts; instead, trafficking; however, it weakened victim protection is making significant efforts and prosecuted and convicted to do so; the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking offenders than in previous years; however, investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender; while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have not been fully implemented and government services to victims remain very limited; the government did conduct anti-trafficking prevention continues its efforts to prevent trafficking through public awareness campaigns jointly with NGOs, identifying a number of victims of trafficking, and providing limited in-kind assistance to NGO-operated anti-trafficking NGOs (2011) hotlines (2013)
- current situation:
- Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
- women and children are trafficked to European and Middle Eastern countries and within Belarus for sexual exploitation;
- Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia, Belarus, and other countries;
- Ukrainian women may be sex trafficked in Belarus
- tier rating:
- Tier 2 Watch List – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
- however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
- the government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute a significant effort toward meeting the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking;
- authorities did not convict any trafficker and conducted the fewest investigations in the last four years;
- a 2013 law permitting state funding for NGOs that provide services to victims has not been implemented;
- the government retained a decree forbidding workers from leaving their jobs in the wood processing industry without their employer’s permission, and authorities did not identify any labor trafficking victims;
- continuing efforts to prevent human trafficking included awareness campaigns, penalizing fraudulent labor recruitment, and a safe migration hotline (2014)
current situation:Russia Russia, Belarus, and Belarus; Belarusian men seeking work abroad are increasingly subjected to forced labor other countries; Ukrainian women may be sex trafficked in Belarus
tier rating:- – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender; while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute a significant effort toward meeting the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking; authorities did not been fully implemented convict any trafficker and government conducted the fewest investigations in the last four years; a 2013 law permitting state funding for NGOs that provide services to victims remain very limited; has not been implemented; the government continues its retained a decree forbidding workers from leaving their jobs in the wood processing industry without their employer’s permission, and authorities did not identify any labor trafficking victims; continuing efforts to prevent human trafficking through public included awareness campaigns campaigns, penalizing fraudulent labor recruitment, and NGO-operated anti-trafficking hotlines (2013) a safe migration hotline (2014)
- current situation:
- Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
- more victims are exploited within Belarus than abroad;
- Belarusians exploited abroad are primarily trafficked to Germany, Poland, Russian, and Turkey but also other European countries, the Middle East, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Mexico;
- Moldovans, Russians, Ukrainians, and Vietnamese are exploited in Belarus;
- state-sponsored forced labor is a continuing problem;
- students are forced to do farm labor without pay and military conscripts are forced to perform unpaid non-military work;
- the government has retained a decree forbidding workers in state-owned wood processing factories from leaving their jobs without their employers’ permission
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was placed on Tier 3 after being on the Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years without making progress;
- government efforts to repeal state-sponsored forced labor policies and domestic trafficking were inadequate;
- no trafficking offenders were convicted in 2014, and the number of investigations progressively declined from 2005-2014;
- efforts to protect trafficking victims remain insufficient, with no identification and referral mechanism in place;
- care facilities were not trafficking-specific and were poorly equipped, leading most victims to seek assistance from private shelters (2015)
Rewritten: too little of the 2015 text remains to mark the changes.
current situation: Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; more victims are exploited within Belarus than abroad; Belarusians exploited abroad are primarily trafficked to Germany, Poland, Russian, and Turkey but also other European countries, the Middle East, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Mexico; Moldovans, Russians, Ukrainians, and Vietnamese are exploited in Belarus; state-sponsored forced labor is a continuing problem; students are forced to do farm labor without pay and military conscripts are forced to perform unpaid non-military work; the government has retained a decree forbidding workers in state-owned wood processing factories from leaving their jobs without their employers’ permission
tier rating: Tier 3 – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was placed on Tier 3 after being on the Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years without making progress; government efforts to repeal state-sponsored forced labor policies and domestic trafficking were inadequate; no trafficking offenders were convicted in 2014, and the number of investigations progressively declined from 2005-2014; efforts to protect trafficking victims remain insufficient, with no identification and referral mechanism in place; care facilities were not trafficking-specific and were poorly equipped, leading most victims to seek assistance from private shelters (2015)
The same text in 4 editions, 2017 to 2020.
- current situation:
- Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
- more victims are exploited within Belarus than abroad;
- Belarusians exploited abroad are primarily trafficked to Germany, Poland, Russian, and Turkey but also other European countries, the Middle East, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Mexico;
- Moldovans, Russians, Ukrainians, and Vietnamese are exploited in Belarus;
- state-sponsored forced labor is a continuing problem;
- students are forced to do farm labor without pay and military conscripts are forced to perform unpaid non-military work;
- the government has retained a decree forbidding workers in state-owned wood processing factories from leaving their jobs without their employers’ permission
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was placed on Tier 3 after being on the Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years without making progress;
- government efforts to repeal state-sponsored forced labor policies and domestic trafficking were inadequate;
- no trafficking offenders were convicted in 2014, and the number of investigations progressively declined from 2005-14;
- efforts to protect trafficking victims remain insufficient, with no identification and referral mechanism in place;
- care facilities were not trafficking-specific and were poorly equipped, leading most victims to seek assistance from private shelters (2015)
current situation: Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; more victims are exploited within Belarus than abroad; Belarusians exploited abroad are primarily trafficked to Germany, Poland, Russian, and Turkey but also other European countries, the Middle East, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Mexico; Moldovans, Russians, Ukrainians, and Vietnamese are exploited in Belarus; state-sponsored forced labor is a continuing problem; students are forced to do farm labor without pay and military conscripts are forced to perform unpaid non-military work; the government has retained a decree forbidding workers in state-owned wood processing factories from leaving their jobs without their employers’ permission
tier rating: Tier 3 – Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was placed on Tier 3 after being on the Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years without making progress; government efforts to repeal state-sponsored forced labor policies and domestic trafficking were inadequate; no trafficking offenders were convicted in 2014, and the number of investigations progressively declined from 2005-2014; 2005-14; efforts to protect trafficking victims remain insufficient, with no identification and referral mechanism in place; care facilities were not trafficking-specific and were poorly equipped, leading most victims to seek assistance from private shelters (2015)
- current situation:
- human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad;
- the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor;
- most Belarusian victims are trafficked in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries;
- the government continued to subject factory workers, civil servants, and students to state-sponsored forced labor harvesting crops on state-owned farms or cleaning streets
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking because of a government policy or pattern of government-sponsored forced labor in public works projects and the agricultural sector;
- however, authorities convicted traffickers under its trafficking statute for the first time in eight years, increased training for law enforcement officers, and confirmed significantly more victims;
- the government adopted a national action plan to protect minors from sexual violence and exploitation (2020)
Rewritten: too little of the 2020 text remains to mark the changes.
current situation: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad; the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor; most Belarusian victims are trafficked in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries; the government continued to subject factory workers, civil servants, and students to state-sponsored forced labor harvesting crops on state-owned farms or cleaning streets
tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking because of a government policy or pattern of government-sponsored forced labor in public works projects and the agricultural sector; however, authorities convicted traffickers under its trafficking statute for the first time in eight years, increased training for law enforcement officers, and confirmed significantly more victims; the government adopted a national action plan to protect minors from sexual violence and exploitation (2020)
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
- therefore Belarus was downgraded to Tier 3;
- despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including conducting trafficking-related investigations and prosecutions and identifying and referring to services more trafficking victims;
- however, the government did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting any traffickers under its trafficking statute and did not provide adequate protection services to trafficking victims nor conduct awareness activities;
- authorities reportedly returned many third-country migrants and asylum seekers to their countries of origin without screening them for trafficking (2022)
- trafficking profile:
- human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad;
- the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor, primarily in Russia;
- most Belarusian victims are exploited in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries;
- some Belarusian women seeking foreign employment in the adult entertainment and hotel industries are subjected to sex trafficking;
- the government has identified Belarusian, Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese victims exploited in Belarus;
- the majority of traffickers are Belarusian citizens, and they increasingly use online methods to coerce victims into forced labor and sex trafficking (2022)
Rewritten: too little of the 2021 text remains to mark the changes.
tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore Belarus was downgraded to Tier 3; despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including conducting trafficking-related investigations and prosecutions and identifying and referring to services more trafficking victims; however, the government did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting any traffickers under its trafficking statute and did not provide adequate protection services to trafficking victims nor conduct awareness activities; authorities reportedly returned many third-country migrants and asylum seekers to their countries of origin without screening them for trafficking (2022)
trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad; the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor, primarily in Russia; most Belarusian victims are exploited in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries; some Belarusian women seeking foreign employment in the adult entertainment and hotel industries are subjected to sex trafficking; the government has identified Belarusian, Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese victims exploited in Belarus; the majority of traffickers are Belarusian citizens, and they increasingly use online methods to coerce victims into forced labor and sex trafficking (2022)
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore Belarus was downgraded to Tier 3;
- nonetheless, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including conducting investigations and prosecutions and identifying and referring victims to services;
- however, the government did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting traffickers under its trafficking statute nor provide adequate protection to victims;
- officials reportedly returned many migrants and asylum seekers to their countries of origin without comprehensively screening them for trafficking;
- the government did not report conducting awareness activities, and its efforts to prevent labor trafficking remained inadequate;
- for the 5 th consecutive year, Belarus did not report investigating or filing charges related to illegal recruitment of migrant workers (2022)
- trafficking profile:
- human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad;
- the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor, primarily in Russia;
- most Belarusian victims are trafficked in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries;
- some Belarusian women traveling for foreign employment in the adult entertainment and hotel industries are subjected to sex trafficking;
- most traffickers are Belarusian citizens, and traffickers increasingly use online methods to coerce victims into forced labor and sex trafficking (2022)
tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; so, therefore Belarus was downgraded to Tier 3; despite the lack of significant efforts, nonetheless, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including conducting trafficking-related investigations and prosecutions and identifying and referring victims to services more trafficking victims; services; however, the government did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting any traffickers under its trafficking statute and did not nor provide adequate protection services to trafficking victims nor conduct awareness activities; authorities victims; officials reportedly returned many third-country migrants and asylum seekers to their countries of origin without comprehensively screening them for trafficking; the government did not report conducting awareness activities, and its efforts to prevent labor trafficking remained inadequate; for the 5 th consecutive year, Belarus did not report investigating or filing charges related to illegal recruitment of migrant workers (2022)
trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad; the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor, primarily in Russia; most Belarusian victims are exploited trafficked in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries; some Belarusian women seeking traveling for foreign employment in the adult entertainment and hotel industries are subjected to sex trafficking; the government has identified Belarusian, Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese victims exploited in Belarus; the majority of most traffickers are Belarusian citizens, and they traffickers increasingly use online methods to coerce victims into forced labor and sex trafficking (2022)
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Belarus remained on Tier 3;
- for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/belarus/
Rewritten: too little of the 2023 text remains to mark the changes.
tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Belarus remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/belarus/
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Belarus remained on Tier 3;
- for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/belarus/
tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Belarus remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/belarus/ https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/belarus/
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Belarus: Trafficking in persons.” The World Factbook, 2011–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/belarus/trafficking-in-persons.